What's the deal with a smoke detector?

A few times per year a device comes along that's not a fancy-schmancy tablet or phone, but still intriguing enough to warrant a teardown.

Like the Nest Protect, a $130 smoke detector with other nifty doodads sprinkled inside. How does the Protect achieve all the fun stuff that Nest advertises? We just had to find out.

So we did what we do best -- bought a unit, sharpened the spudgers, and pulled a Sylar on the Nest Protect in order to find out how it ticks.

The Nest Protect is straight-forward and easy to disassemble. Common screw types, user-accessible batteries, and a simple design make it a very solid, repairable product. That said, we won't be assigning a repairability score: The Protect is a piece of safety equipment, and your life could depend on it. Aside from replacing the batteries, it should not be taken apart if it's going to be used for its intended purpose afterwards.

Down now to the heart of the brain (Just ponder that metaphor for a moment. Done? Wonderful, let’s move on). A quick look at the noteworthy integrated circuits running the Nest Protect: